Emotional Issues Hurt Children's Health Care

Oct. 7, 2005 -- Emotional or behavioral problems may make it more difficult for children to get the health care they need. The consequences may have disrupting effects on the entire family, according to a new report.

Researchers say overall about 13% of American children have special health care needs. Of those included in this study, about 4% of all children were reported by parents as suffering from emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems compared with about 29% of children with special health care needs.

Compared with children with other chronic medical conditions, the study shows that children with emotional or behavioral health issues were more than twice as likely to be affected by their conditions and these conditions often created financial problems at home.

Children's Mental Health Problems Have Wide Effect

In the study, researchers analyzed information from a 2001 survey of the parents or guardians of nearly 40,000 children with special health care needs.

Of children with reported emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems, the most commonly reported conditions were attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD (53.5%), a learning disability (51.7%), anxiety or depression problems (43.5%), and autism (6.8%).

The study showed that compared with other children with special health care needs, children with these problems were more likely to have:

Health conditions that affected their daily activities

Missed 11 or more days of school in the last year

No or inadequate health insurance

Unmet needs for health care services

Difficulty getting health care referrals

More than $1,000 in annual out-of-pocket medical expenses

In addition, family members of children with emotional, behavioral, and developmental problems were more likely to have:

Experienced financial problems related to the child's health

Reduced work hours or stopped working to care for the child

Spent 11 or more hours per week providing or coordinating health care for the child

Researchers say the results show that a child's mental health problems can have a ripple effect on the health and welfare of the child and his or her family.